


How Do You Take It?

by The_Omni_Princess



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Amputee Bucky Barnes, Avengers Tower, Captain America Steve Rogers/Modern Bucky Barnes, Deaf Clint Barton, Domestic Avengers, Domestic Fluff, Found Family, M/M, Modern Bucky Barnes, Not Canon Compliant, Protective Tony Stark, Shrunkyclunks, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, in the vents Clint
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-24 16:21:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21880921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Omni_Princess/pseuds/The_Omni_Princess
Summary: Crazy things happen in coffee shops at 5AM, especially when Steve's favorite coffee shop is closed.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 15
Kudos: 357
Collections: Stucky Secret Santa 2019





	How Do You Take It?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wolfiefics](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolfiefics/gifts).



> This was for a Stucky Secret Santa Exchange and is my first Stucky piece so tell me what you guys think!  
> I mostly write Bucky fics and am mostly on Tumblr under the same name I have here  
> Thanks for reading :D

The mission went longer than expected. Tiring, time-consuming, and way too damn long. Afterward, Steve showered then simply crashed on his bed. On the bright side, Tony and Natasha theorized that Hydra was almost fully gone, and Steve no longer would have to worry about late-night missions to take down yet another Hydra base. 

Now, all he had to worry about was the stupid words on his wrist. Soulmarks. The very first words his soulmate would say to him. 

Steve’s Soulmark had turned into an inside joke in the Avenger’s Tower. In pretty cursive dark blue writing on his right wrist were the words _“How do you take it?”_ Tony pretty much had a field day when he found out Steve’s words. Multiple jokes and a myriad of jabs and innuendos in passing, even Sam had teased him about his Soulmark when he moved into the tower and officially became an Avenger. 

Never did he think those ridiculous words would come up again… at 4:50 in the morning. 

Steve had been asleep for hours, and had woken up way too early, and was now standing in front of his favorite coffee shop… which was closed for another hour. “Well, shit,” resigned to drinking shitty coffee from Clint’s broken coffee machine, Steve made his way back to the Tower.

A glint of metal caught his attention, a girl with dark unruly curls, struggling to get a café door open as her arms were wrapped around a mountain of boxes. Ever the gentleman, and with his ma’s voice in his head scolding him for not moving faster, Steve quickly held the door open for her. Bright blue eyes looked up at him in surprise. “Oh! Thank you!” The woman disappeared inside, and glanced back at Steve, noticing the slight shiver he gave at the cold. He didn’t want to admit how the cold seemed to affect him more since he was found in the ice. It gave him flashes of icy cold water and choking and drowning before his world went black. “Why don’t you come inside, sweetheart? You’ll catch a cold out in that weather! Buck will make you a cup of coffee, least we can do since you helped me out,” the girl looked like she couldn’t have been older than twenty, yet she went a mile a minute, pulling new decorations from the boxes she was carrying as she spoke towards Steve.

Suddenly he found his voice, stepping inside the quaint café as he realized the woman in front of him was offering coffee, offering warmth. “Please, I wouldn’t want to intrude,” he quickly said. He didn’t want to explain how it usually took more than a handful of shots of caffeine for him to feel anything. Thanks to the serum, coffee was more of a luxury of warmth.

“Nonsense, we’re opening in-“ she glanced at the clock on the wall, Steve following her eyes as he started to take in the relatively small café. “Almost an hour, really isn’t too much trouble. Bucky!” She called out louder, aiming her voice towards the back door, just past the small counter and glass display case already half full of pastries. “Mind making a cup of joe for this kind stranger that helped me out this morning?”

Steve stayed close to the door, taking in the details of the shop, a few tables along the wall, a handful of older seats, the pastries in the display case all had small bits of steam rolling off of them, fresh enough that Steve could smell the honey and butter off of the croissants. So wrapped up in looking at the new decorations the girl placed on a shelf, Steve didn’t really notice a new person enter the room, placing a new tray of what smelled like blueberry muffins into the display case. 

The metal of the tray clanging against the metal edge of the display caught Steve's attention, his eyes taking in the newcomer. Baby blue button-down long sleeve shirt, black apron covered in flour, wearing oven mitts. Matching dark curls to the woman he helped, and icy eyes that were complemented by the shirt he was wearing, Steve felt his heart lurch uncomfortable, almost a past reminder of his heart murmurs before the serum. “Good morning- oh god you’re hot,” the words tumbled out of his mouth before he could stop them, making his face light up in pink blush, easily spreading up his cheeks and down his neck.

He turned towards Steve, raising his eyebrow just a hair answering without much thought, as if an automatic reaction, “How do you take it?” The three people in the room froze, and Steve thought he could hear this man’s heart skip a beat of two.

“Wha-what-“ He coughed lightly, trying (and mostly failing) to gain his composure. “What did you just say?” His eyes were locked onto this man, getting lost in his features, the dimple in his chin, his shorter curls falling just above his eyes- God those eyes.

“How… How do you take it?” He gulped, eyes just as wide. 

“No fucking way,” The girl spoke that time, eyes fluttering back between the two. 

The world seemed to slow, Steve’s racing mind quickly trying to do what he did best: strategize and make a plan. “Well… “ He finally broke the silence, giving the man, Bucky, if he remembered the girl’s words correctly, a small and shy smile. “I feel like I should apologize for the words you have. ‘Oh god you’re hot,’ probably sucked,” despite the tense surroundings and his cheeks still a very noticeable shade of pink, Steve attempted a joke.

Bucky couldn’t help but burst into giggles, grinning back at him. “Apologize?! Please tell me ‘How do you take it?’ isn’t the words you have, otherwise, I should start with the apologizing,” he shot back. 

Steve stepped forward, rolling up his sleeve, showing the cursive letters of his mark. Bucky moved past the counter, pulling his sleeve up and tossing his right mitten off to expose his own mark. Steve couldn’t help himself, gently taking his wrist in his hands, his calloused fingers running over the mark. The words were in deep red, like dripping crimson blood, edged on the softest skin Steve’s ever felt in his life. “You’re really it?” Steve hated how vulnerable his voice was, but of all the things he thought would happen at 5 am, this was probably at the very end of the list. “My soulmate.”

“Hi,” he responded in kind, giving Steve the brightest smile, he’s ever seen in his life. Oh fuck, he was already whipped for this man, wasn’t he? “I’m James Buchanan Barnes, but most people call me Bucky,” he introduced. “And that trouble maker, and my new favorite person, is my sister Becca.” He nodded towards the girl, still staring up into Steve’s eyes, which he most _definitely_ wasn’t going to argue about.

“I’m Steve…” he murmured breathlessly, caught up in the very steel in his soulmate’s eyes. “Steven Grant Rogers.”

He noticed Bucky’s eyes immediately go wide. “No way. You get Captain fucking America as your soulmate?!” Becca sounded off beside them, making Steve go red again as he stepped away from Bucky. Both instantaneously regretted the move, instantly missing the other’s touch but keeping silent about it.

“Sorry, miss. Turns out, I did intrude your morning,” he said sheepishly.

“Intrude whenever you want,” Bucky mumbled, Steve’s enhanced ears hearing it easily. He couldn’t help the grin from his face, looking back towards his soulmate- _his soulmate!!_ \- noticing how red he looked.

“Why don’t you stay for breakfast?” Becca quickly took control of the situation, seeing both boys flustering near each other, it was painfully adorable truthfully. 

“But the muffi-“ Bucky tried to argue, his gaze finally leaving the safety of Steve’s blue eyes to look at his sister. 

“I’ve got those, sweetie. Exchange numbers and talk with your _soulmate_ ,” she drawled the word as if it was scandalous, taking the boxes with her as she rushed to the back.

“Why don’t we sit down?” Bucky looked back towards a starstruck Steve.

“Yes!” He stumbled over his words, more blush rising in his cheeks. “I’d… I’d love to.” He added, following Bucky to the table in the back corner, sitting on the side facing the door, a habit of his. 

“Never answered my question, ya know?” Bucky moved gracefully to the other side of the counter, starting up the coffee machine.

“Oh! Sorry, got a little caught up is all,” he smiled sheepishly, making Bucky rolled his eyes playfully.

“Well? How do you take your coffee?” He started pouring two mugs.

“Well… I usually add like ten shots to actually feel it. Serum and all,” he wasn’t sure why he felt nervous admitting that out loud.

“Ah,” Bucky clicked his tongue faintly, pressing a few buttons on the machine before making a new mug, dumping one of the old ones in the nearby sink. “How much sugar and milk?” he called out, moving around the side, grabbing said materials from a shelf. 

“As much as you’re willing to put in it and still call it coffee,” he smiled warmly, feeling strangely happy as Bucky grinned back at him.

“A man with a sweet tooth, no wonder we’re soulmates,” he teased, pouring a fair amount of milk into both mugs before pouring a staggering amount of sugar in both. Bucky grabbed a few muffins before placing the mug in front of Steve, and two muffins, chocolate chip, and blueberry. He sat across from Steve, quick to sip on his coffee. 

“I lived in the Great Depression and war, I’m currently trying to compensate for all the sugar I never was able to have as a kid, Sweetheart,” he tried to joke, the pet name slipping in easily as he started to relax.

Bucky went red again at the pet name, making Steve wonder how much Brooklyn drawl bled into his words without him trying. “Well you’re welcome to your sugar fix here anytime,” Bucky smiled back.

“Is that from the pastries or from you?” Steve teased, happy all of Sam’s jabs at his flirting have helped him gotten better at it. Poor Bucky didn’t know what was coming.

“Either works for me,” he shot back, a cheeky grin lighting up his features. The rising sun of New York lit up his body from the window behind him, and Steve’s mind couldn’t help but memorize it immediately to sketch it the second he got back to the tower. 

“Don’t tempt me, I’ll hold you to that.”

“I’ll let you hold whatever you want against me,” Bucky’s grin was infectious, both boys wearing matching goofy smiles as they continued to joke and share breakfast.

By the time Becca came back down to the shop with more pastries, both men were completely enamored by the other, unable to stop smiling and teasing the other as they learned more of each other. By the time Steve had to leave, he knew he was completely and utterly in love with James Buchanan Barnes.

\---

Whistling and smiling, Steve practically skipped in the Tower’s main communal living room. Three different pairs of eyes looked at him baffled, confused as to the sudden change in their Captain.

“Either you got laid, or Fury gave you a vacation. What's up with you, Capsicle?” Tony looked up from his Stark Tablet, no doubt working on his latest technological advance on his suit.

“Not much,” he shrugged, grabbing his tablet from the counter before sitting on the couch, opening reports to finish.

“Yeah, I believe that,” Sam gave him a look, sarcasm laced into his voice. Steve didn’t reply, only grinning at his phone as a notification lit up his screen. He quickly responded back, the smile never straying from his face.

“Something’s wrong with Cap, he’s smiling for longer than five minutes.” Tony put his tablet down, slowly getting invested in this new mystery.

“Five bucks says it’s because he found his soulmate,” Natasha spoke up, sitting on the countertop, tilting her head with a smug smirk. “What are your bets, Clint?” She called out.

“Oh, you’re definitely right.” A voice from above stated.

“Clint, we’ve talked about you and your obsession with my vents,” Tony groaned. Steve merely ignored the comments, continuing to text Bucky. 

“So? Tell us about her?” Sam pipped in, moving closer to Steve on the couch.

Steve sighed softly, “Not going to let this go, will you?”

“Nope!” Clint’s voice rang from the vent above.

“Him…” Steve’s voice was small, unsure how they would take the news. “I met _him_ today. His name is Bucky…”

“What sorta name is _Bucky_?” Tony’s face scrunched up. “Of all the soulmate names, yours is named Bucky.”

“Tony-“ Steve tried to defend.

“Oh, come on, you can’t tell me his name isn’t weird! Either way, happy you found ‘em, tell us all about him,” Ever the nosy little shit, Tony tossed his tablet down and launched at the sofa to get comfortable, curling up beside an equally as excited Sam. Even Natasha moved closer, her smirk just a little bigger.

“Should I even try to ignore you three?” Steve glanced at his phone before putting it down to look at his teammates.

“What about me?!” Clint called out again.

“Sorry, Four,” Steve amended, all three Avengers in front of him giving him looks. “Okay fine. His name is James, he works at Barnes’ Café in Brooklyn, the son of the owners. The usual place I go to over there was closed but his sister, Rebecca, let me in early and that’s where I met him.” His face softened, a smile on his face as he started to tell them all about his Soulmate. His teammates could see just how whipped he was for the barista after one meeting. Sam and Natasha found it sweet, Tony, however supportive, was also shocked how in love Steve looked already. He knew how fast you could fall for your soulmate, but the man looked ready to fight wars for his soulmate.

“So when will we meet him?” Tony smiled, already making plans in his head to look into this ‘James.’ Call him over-protective, but Tony would make sure anybody his teammates loved was worthy of that love, a few background checks wouldn’t hurt too much.

“Well, I’ll ask him, but Tony,” Steve looked at one of the few friends he had made since appearing in this time, knowing him better than he thought he did, “Let me explore this before you scare him off.”

Tony held up his hands in surrender, “Alright, alright, but if you want to know a single detail, just ask Jarvis.”

\---

Over the next few weeks, Steve made it a habit to stop by the Barnes’ Café almost every morning. Through constant visits and an equally enamored soulmate, Steve learned a myriad of details about Bucky. He knew his coffee order, a caramel latte just as sweet as Steve liked it, he knew his family, growing close with Rebecca whenever Bucky was busy in the kitchen. He knew that Bucky loved experimenting with baking and couldn’t afford to go to cooking school like he wanted so he went to NYU on a scholarship and received a bachelor’s in business, helping his parents and three younger sisters run their café. Steve knew Bucky’s favorite Avenger (other than Steve of course) was Natasha, because, and he quote, thought it was “really cool the way she told the government to fuck off.” 

Now, a month later, it was finally happening. Bucky was in the elevator, hand in hand with Steve, about to meet the other Avengers.

Steve also knew on another important thing about Bucky, he was an amputee. Not that it made Steve love Bucky – oh my god he loved him – any less, but it was an important part of him. And now, Bucky was honestly nervous it would make the Avengers hate him. He knew it wasn’t that likely, but all the looks other people had given him when they saw his prosthetic had been ingrained into his head. 

“I’m right here, baby, no matter what,” Steve promised in a soft voice, his grip on Bucky’s hand tightening slightly. 

“I know, but what if they don’t like me-“

“Buck, we’ve been through this. They’ll love you, doll.” He kissed his head sweetly, Bucky’s face lighting up red as the elevator doors opened. 

“Alright… let’s do this.” He smiled shyly as Steve led him to the communal living room where Tony, Sam, Natasha, Bruce, and Clint (finally out of the vents) stood, joking around until they saw the couple come in.

“Hey everyone, this is Bucky,” Steve spoke, gently nudging the man in front of him, Bucky only responding with an awkward wave. 

“H-hi-… I mean hi!” He smiled bashfully at the quartet in front of him. “Nice to meet you all.”

“I have one very important question, James,” Clint stepped forward, narrowing his eyes at him. “Who’s your favorite Avenger? Choose wisely, and you can’t say, Cap.” 

“Widow,” he responded instantly, earning a grin and a pat on the back from Clint. 

“He passes all my tests!”

“Clint, honey, everyone passes your tests,” Natasha sighed softly, quickly signing something to the deaf archer. 

Clint merely waved his hand, responded just as quickly before grabbing chips from the pantry and jumping onto a sofa.

“One down, four to go,” Steve joked, Sam rolling his eyes.

“I’m Sam. That birdbrain was Clint. You probably know the other three idiots trying to act intimidating, so I’ll just sit down.”

“So, Bucko,” Tony finally stepped forward, making Bucky gulp as he tried not to back right into Steve’s arms. Steve. Steve would protect him. Right? “Wait, what’s that?” The billionaire looked intrigued, pointing towards Bucky’s left hand.

“Oh! It-it’s nothing!” He quickly realized his mistake, attempting to hide his hand behind him again.

“Is that a _metal_ prosthetic?” Tony took another step forwards, Bucky taking one back, crashing right into Steve. 

“Y-yeah… lost my arm in a motorcycling accident when I was in high school, got this a few years ago-“ Tony didn’t respond, already crowding into Bucky’s space.

“Holy shit, the metal plating on this thing is incredible!” He looked back up to see the man’s terrified expression. “Oh, where are my manners?” Tony visibly softened, “We’re all pretty chill here, more curious then anything as to who the Universe decided was the perfect soulmate for Capsicle,” he explained. 

The explanation calmed Bucky a bit, but the Black Widow moving closer to him, Bruce Banner at her side, made his anxiety spike again. “So? I’m your favorite huh?” Was that mirth in her voice?

“Because you told the government to fuck off,” Steve supplied, much to Bucky’s annoyance, a goofy grin on his face.

Bucky could have sworn he saw an actual smile from the assassin. “Well, welcome to the family, Bucky. It’s movie night, and we’re watching ‘Ratatouille,’ Steve’s never seen it.” Nat didn’t even glance he was as she and Bruce, who gave a small hello to Bucky as well, both sat on the couches (well Natasha and Clint sat on the floor, the soulmates once stating the rug was more comfortable) with the rest of the Avengers.

“You’ve never seen Ratatouille?!” Bucky cried out, turning on his soulmate, who had the decency to look bashful.

“I’ve been a little busy with saving the world, doll,” he tried.

“That’s no excuse! Sit your butt down, Rogers,” Bucky gave him a look, finally starting to relax for the first time since he came to the tower. Steve obliged, sitting in a love seat and pulling Bucky beside him, placing a possessive kiss on his cheek.

“Oh God, he is whipped,” Tony muttered, already trying to get Jarvis to start the movie.

“Oh, shut your mouth Tony, like you’re not the same with Pepper.” Steve teased, earning a pillow thrown at him, which he easily swatted away. 

Just like that the movie began playing and everyone began to feel comfortable. As the movie started, and the music began to play, Bucky slowly curled up into Steve. Maybe this was what a soulmate was supposed to be. Not just someone you could be yourself and be just right for them, but someone you could be yourself, and be accepted and loved by their family as well. Born into, adopted, or found. Family was everything.

-


End file.
